K-pop composer EJAE achieves global success with ‘Golden’

“I am grateful and proud that hard work is paying off,” said EJAE (Lee Jae, 34), composer and singer of the Netflix animated series "K-Pop Demon Hunters" original soundtrack "Golden." At a press event on Oct. 15 at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul, she said being recognized as a singer after previously working only as a composer feels “new and exciting.”

The song Golden topped both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the U.K. Official Singles Chart Top 100 for eight consecutive weeks. Reflecting on her role as a Korean-American, EJAE said she is proud that now the world recognizes not only K-pop but all things Korean.

She emphasized the importance of including Korean lyrics in the chorus. “It was important to showcase Korean culture,” EJAE said. “At a U.S. sing-along screening, fans sang the chorus ‘Forever unbreakable’ in Korean. That was very fulfilling.”

EJAE, the great-grandson of actor and former lawmaker Shin Young-kyun, trained at SM Entertainment for more than a decade but did not debut. She said growing up involves challenges and that she never viewed the rejections she faced as setbacks.

She added that people have their own timing and that growth is more important than immediate success. “When you fail, you have to think, ‘I can try again.’ That mindset kept me going. Music saved me. I always dreamed of being a singer, but I also worked as a composer and engineer, making beats for 12 hours a day.”

The success of KDH’s OST has brought EJAE global recognition. The animation and its song “Golden” are already seen as strong contenders for next year’s Academy Awards and Grammy Awards. EJAE said she would be “overwhelmed with emotion” if she won.

Looking ahead, EJAE said she wants to continue growing as a composer while bridging K-pop and American pop music. She identified aespa and BTS as groups she would like to work with.

“aespa matches the style of music I pursue,” she said. “Collaborating with BTS would be a great honor. Especially if I could feature Jungkook’s voice on one of my tracks, it would be amazing.”


김태언 기자 beborn@donga.com